Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Monster Burger

I realize that at this point - posting to this food blog is just an online recipe saver for me personally - since I've been so sporadic with my posts - but you can only do what you do!!

So, the MONSTER BURGER. My son requested "an awesome cheeseburger" for dinner - both my husband and I started salivating. It was def a team effort w my hubs creating this - one AMAZING burger. We made a 'lighter' version of it a couple of days later and loved it too!! I'll include all the details...

See it up close? Oh yeah babe. I didn't even eat a side with this hamburger - I wanted to enjoy this MONSTER in it's entirety - without distraction...

Combine sirloin, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Grate onion directly over the bowl - so that the onion and all it's juices can be incorporated in the patties. The grated onion not only adds tremendous flavor, but the juices from the onion keep the patties moist.

Once combined, pat out into one big patty and use the side of your hand to divide into 4 big or 5 medium sized portions. Shape those portions into individual patties.

Grill to your preference. For medium well grill for 3 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 6 additional minutes.

While you wait for your patties to cook, fold deli ham in half and top with enough muenster to cover the ham. Cover the muenster with enough cheddar to cover that.

In that last minute of grilling, add your perfect ham & cheese package to the top of the burger. This will heat up the ham and melt both cheeses.

Assemble your burger. I suggest adding mayo (ketchup, mustard, etc) and lettuce on the bottom part of the bun. Then add the patty that now has now become a beefy, smoked ham, cheesy, ooey gooey package. Top that with crispy bacon and cool slices of avocado. The top of the Kaiser roll will serve to hold the entire thing together.

SERIOUSLY. SO. DELICIOUS.
*I love a good Kaiser roll. Soft. Creates a 'hollow' in the bread to accomodate all the toppings, without you having to hollow it out yourself - and can hold everything in without sliding out...

**My kids are 9, 7, 4 and 4 months. For the kids we made these as directed above, but sliced them in half for a better portion size. Big crowd pleaser!

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: a couple of days later we were still craving the amazing taste of the burger - but on the lighter side. I made the patties exactly as directed above and used EITHER muenster OR cheddar depending on personal preference. I eliminated the bacon, ham & avocado and added a side salad. Just as AWESOME - just not as indulgent...